iBlii!g|i''lM?jjj^ 



SKETCHES 

FROM 

OLDEST AMERICA 



JOHNB.DRIGGS 







Class tln_ 

Book_ JiJ]a. 



Copyright N^ 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



SHORT SKETCHES 

FROM 
OLDEST AMERICA 



SHORT SKETCHES 

FROM 

OLDEST AMERICA 



By 
JOHN B. DRIGGS, M. D. 




PHILADELPHIA 

GEORGE W. JACOBS & CO. 

PUBLISHERS 



UlBSARYof jONa'tess 
iwu aopies rfttceivoo 



JUL 24 1905 

Oouyi'iiiii t.M^ 

OUiSa Cu AAC Mot 

COPY tt.' 



Copyright, 1905, by 

George W, Jacobs & Company 

Published July, igos 



Publishers' Preface 

From the small size of this volume, one would 
hardly realize, perhaps, what an immense amount 
of labor and patient research its writing must neces- 
sarily represent. The author, who was first sent to 
northwestern Alaska in the summer of 1890, and 
who, by the bye, has, with the exception of two 
vacations of a year each, been constantly at his post 
in that bleak country ever since, found himself one 
day landed, with his possessions, upon the inhospi- 
table sea-beach of the Point Hope peninsula, where 
for weeks he was compelled to shelter himself from 
wind and rain, as best he could, in an improvised 
tent made of barrels and boxes with canvas thrown 
over them. Finally, the carpenters of some of the 
whaling ships were got together and a house, which 
had been framed in distant San Francisco, was put 
up for him, a few hundred yards from the water's 
edge. 

A mile or so away lay a large native village, the 
inhabitants of which naturally regarded him as a 
great curiosity. But he found himself quite unable 
5 



Publishers Preface 



to communicate with them otherwise than by signs, 
as the printed vocabularies and grammars, with 
which he had been supplied, proved to be inac- 
curate and practically valueless. 

His house finished and no scholars being forth- 
coming, he proceeded one day to capture a native 
lad whom he found on the beach, and, leading him 
home, taught him several letters of the alphabet and 
then baked him a cake. This system of rewarding 
attendance with something to eat rapidly brought 
other scholars. Older visitors followed, and he 
soon had a school in active operation and then a 
lecture-room. 

Prior to Dr. Driggs's arrival, the experiences 
which the natives had had with the whites had not 
been universally satisfactory. Outside of rare meet- 
ings with the officers and crews of the government's 
revenue cutters, their white acquaintances had been 
pretty much confined to the class known as " beach- 
combers," or deserters from the steam-whaling 
fleet. These are described as a rough, unscrupulous 
set of fellows, too worthless to obtain better em- 
ployment in San Francisco, where they are enlisted. 
Some of these undesirable visitors had already ap- 
peared at Point Hope and had outrageously abused the 
6 



Publishers* Preface 



peaceful inhabitants before our author's arrival 
there. 

In contrast with such men as these. Dr. Driggs 
proved himself a friend indeed to the poor natives, 
and succeeded in due time in winning the affection 
and confidence of their entire tribe. Little by little 
he mastered their language, until he has become so 
proficient in it that he is now planning to write a 
grammar. 

During the summer months many of the Point 
Hope natives are away from home for long intervals 
in quest of game or on fishing expeditions, and the 
doctor would frequently follow their example, 
making long excursions along the coast, as far north 
as ley Cape, if not further; and southward, along 
the shores of Kotzebue Sound. Similarly for many 
winters, wearied with confinement to the house 
during the long night, he was wont to set out, ac- 
companied by some native guide and wife with 
dog-team and sledge, to make trips of several hun- 
dred miles over ice and snow, exposed to blizzards 
such as we have no conception of, camping out 
when weary in an improvised snow-house, or 
sleeping, perhaps, in some native settlement, where 
the only fare would be uninviting frozen fish. 
7 



Publishe rs' Preface 

These last excursions, however, he has been obliged 
to discontinue in consequence of having frozen one 
of his feet, several years since, when he fell from 
an ice floe into the ocean, and was with difficulty 
dragged out by his companions. 

And right here it might be as well to observe that 
the pretty picture which childhood's memories de- 
pict as adorning a page in our Physical Geography, 
with its fur-clad traveler sitting comfortably on his 
sledge, brandishing his whip and dashing gaily 
along behind a row of trotting dogs, is more im- 
aginative than accurate. The real use of the dog- 
team, it would appear, is merely to drag the traveler's 
baggage. The men plough along through the snow 
in front, and the animals, harnessed in single file, 
drag the sledge behind them, following the woman, 
to whom they are accustomed to turn for their food. 

Thrown thus into close contact with Dr. Driggs, 
their physician when ill, their teacher in health, their 
friend and protector always, the natives gradually 
learned to discard the suspicion with which they 
must have originally regarded him, and confided to 
him their traditions and legends, which primarily 
they would naturally have guarded with the most 
sedulous care. How many an evening camp-fire, 
8 



Publishers Preface 



how many a long conversation must these prim- 
itive tales represent! How much patience, upon 
the hearer's part, it must have required to corrobor- 
ate these traditions by comparing one account with 
another and noting their remarkable similarity! 
These sketches are real native stories put into read- 
able English, without any attempt at embellishment 
or enlargement. 

Near the native village of Tigara extends, for a 
considerable distance, the ancient burial place of 
the tribe. Here, upon elevated platforms, sup- 
ported high above the ground on whales' jaws, out 
of the reach of wild animals, have slumbered the 
dead for ages past. In and beneath these places of 
sepulture. Dr. Driggs has found many interesting 
relics of great antiquity, which he has brought 
away with him. Among these were the original 
instruments used in bygone ages for making flint 
axes and arrow-heads. These the reader will find 
described in the text. 

The site originally selected for Dr. Driggs's house 
was too close to the shore. He found this out one 
night when a storm brought the water of the Arctic 
Ocean up over the land, and a succession of big 
waves forced his door open. Carrying a native lad 
9 



Publishers' Preface 



on his back, he was compelled to wade, in total 
darkness, through the icy water, for several hun- 
dred yards before he reached terra firma. After 
this startling experience, his house was moved to 
higher ground and further inland; but, proving 
always extremely cold, it was subsequently re- 
placed, as a dwelling, by another and smaller build- 
ing which was protected from the piercing wind 
by a thick casing of sod. 

In conclusion, we will say that Dr. Driggs is a 
man of iron constitution, strong physically and 
mentally, an excellent shot, and one who hardly 
knows the meaning of the 'word. fear. In years to 
come, his name will rightly go down to history as 
that of a hero. 



lO 



Preface 

During many years spent within the Arctic Circle 
of Northwestern Alaska, at Tig-a-ra (Point Hope 
Village), where 1 have lived at the mission station 
of the Episcopal Church, acting as medical man and 
teacher, and, later on, in deacon's orders, I have 
naturally become interested in these ancient people, 
and have written the following volume of short 
stories simply to show the nature, traditions and 
legends of the In-u-pash.' I have also introduced a 
few brief sketches, hoping to give a little insight 
into the simplicity of these primitive people who 
have been isolated from the outside world from the 
most remote time. There has been no attempt 
made to exhaust the subject. 

John B. Driggs, M. D. 

April, igo^. 



• In-u-pash — Native inhabitants of the coast of the Arctic sec- 
tion of Alaska. 



II 



Contents 



I. 


Introduction .... 


• 17 


II. 


The Tragedy of The Three Brothers 


23 


III. 


The Metigewek .... 


31 


IV. 


Origin of Man .... 


35 


V. 


What Brought Age into the World 


39 


VI. 


TOONGNA ..... 


43 


VII. 


The " Ongootkoot "... 


47 


VIII. 


Webukside ..... 


57 


IX. 


Birth of Tooloogigra . 


63 


X. 


Day and Night .... 


69 


XI. 


Man's First Constructed Home 


73 


XII. 


The Mammoth .... 


81 


XIII. 


Fire-Making ..... 


85 


XIV. 


Instruments .... 


89 


XV. 


Music 


99 


XVI. 


Wooden Faces .... 


105 


XVII. 


The Evolution of the Cook . 


109 


XVIII. 


Chokarluke ..... 


117 


XIX. 


Introduction of Tobacco 
13 


121 



Contents 



XX. Winter Evenings and Stories 
Allugua .... 
Caterpillar .... 
Tungnaluke's Perplexity 
The Raven, the Barnacle Goose, and the 
Whale .... 



XXI. Courtship .... 
XXII. The Wooing of Billy Fishtail 
XXIII. Writing .... 



127 
130 

135 

138 

142 
149 
»55 
>59 



14 



Illustrations 




The princess and her companion 


Frontispiece 


A group of In-u-pash 


Facing page z z 


An elevated grave .... 


. " " 96 


Nanoona's descendants 


. " " 124 


Mr. and Mrs. Billy Fishtail 


. " " 156 



15 



I 

Introduction 



INTRODUCTION 

Only those who have had the experience, know 
the pleasure of traveling outside the beaten tracks 
and viewing new scenes that are not generally 
known to the average tourist of to-day. Every year 
the Atlantic has its throngs who are crossing the 
ocean to visit old places which have become familiar 
to the majority of readers. There is a route for the 
student of nature, which has been only partially 
opened of recent years, that presents many points 
of interest. While nature has not yet become 
defaced by the artificial scenes which the Atlantic 
tourist meets throughout his journey, the traveler 
can try the newer way by turning his steps toward 
the Pacific and visiting Alaska. There may not be 
all the comforts one experiences on the Atlantic, 
but the ocean voyage will be found plenty long, 
and there will be the satisfaction of viewing one's 
own country. 

Alaska is a vast and not thoroughly explored 
territory, with many dififerent tribes of people, 
19 



Sketches From Oldest America 

whose history if it were but known, would fill 
many an interesting volume. The signs of an 
advancing civilization are to be noted in the way of 
small towns and mining camps, extending even as 
far north as Nome ; then, if the journey is continued 
through the Behring Straits into the Arctic regions 
—where in winter, the moon forms its circle in the 
heavens, while in summer, the sun remains up as if 
trying to make amends for its long winter's absence 
— up as far as Point Hope to the village of Tigara, the 
tourist will find there an interesting and friendly 
people. His first impression probably is, what a 
bleak and barren coast! but, should he allow his 
thoughts to wander back to the remote past, he can 
imagine how in ages gone by this may have been 
an Eden with its luxuriant vegetation and a much 
milder climate. The huge mammoth roamed freely 
through the forest, along with many other animals 
that have long since passed into the forgotten his- 
tory of long ago. Then through the changes of 
nature the warming ocean currents were shut off, 
causing this to become the bleak and barren country 
it is now, enveloped in ice the greater portion of 
the year. The belt of cold, acting as a barrier, 
isolates the people from the outside world, and they 



Sketches From Oldest America 

have continued living in their primitive condition 
until the present awakening. 

Should the geologist inform the villager that 
North America was once under water, only the 
tops of the highest mountains extending above the 
one great ocean, like so many islands, and that then 
the ocean currents carried their warmth to the Pole, 
the Tigara man would reply: "Yes, in very old 
times only three mountain-tops extended above the 
ocean, and it was at a very remote day that my 
ancestors first appeared." 

Should the evolutionist inform the villager that 
man did not at first stand in an erect position as at 
present, but went round on his hands and feet; that 
the sperm whale originated from an animal akin to 
the bear; and that other great changes have taken 
place among the various members of the animal 
kingdom, the Tigara man would again reply: 
"Yes, the earliest men did not have their lower 
extremities developed for walking; the Bow-head 
whale originated from an animal similar to the deer, 
while another member of the whale family, called 
the Killer, armed with large teeth instead of baleen, 
originated from an animal akin to the wolf; the 
deer of old was a hornless and carniverous animal, 

21 



Sketches From Oldest America 



having teeth like those of the bear, its canines being 
quite long, and when it appeared in herds the 
earlier inhabitants were alarmed, as it used to attack 
and devour the people," He will also tell you that 
its fat was similar to the blubber of the seal, or per- 
haps more like that of the domestic hog, but the 
animal for some unknown reason began eating the 
salmon-berries called "achea," and in time became 
herbivorous; with the change of diet it gradually 
changed its habits, growing horns and losing its 
back teeth, ultimately becoming the caribou of the 
present. 

The man of Tigara, through his traditions, has 
known all these things for ages past, while the man 
of science is only finding them out through his 
patient investigations. 

The visitor can now enter into an interesting 
train of thought while saying to himself: "What 
need is there of crossing the wide ocean, with 
the delusion we are visiting the old world, while 
there are here in our own country the oldest 
Americans, a race of men who, according to their 
traditions and the rude architecture of their homes, 
can antedate any people to be seen by the tourist on 
his beaten lines of travel ?" 



I 



II 

The Tragedy of The Three Brothers 



II 

THE TRAGEDY OF THE THREE BROTHERS 

In the east not far from the region of the Ro- 
manzoff Mountains, toward the land of the Cogmo- 
liks, there lived during the early days four brothers. 
The eldest had taken a trip on the ocean in his kyak 
or light skin boat. As the day drew to a close he 
had not returned, but it excited no attention among 
the members of the family, as it was a usual thing 
for any of the people to stay a few days at a friendly 
iglo ' without leaving word at home where they 
were going, or how long they would be absent. 
Some acquaintances coming along reported that 
they had not seen anything of the missing man ; 
then suspicion began to be aroused that everything 
might not be right and a search was instituted, but 
no trace could be found of him or his kyak; no one 
along the coast seemed able to throw any light on 
his whereabouts, although they lent their aid by 
joining in with the searching party. 

1 Iglo, a mound house. 
25 



Sketches From Oldest America 



As time went by, all hopes of the missing one's 
return were abandoned. The people talked about 
the case as one of those mysteries which had no 
solution. Then later on, a second brother, ventur- 
ing on a trip, disappeared as completely as did the 
first. The remaining brothers were much alarmed 
and did not know what to do. A third brother 
started out determined if possible, to make a more 
thorough investigation, but disappeared the same 
as the others. 

There now remained only Ahvooyoolacha, the 
youngest of the four. He was bowed down with 
grief at the great loss he had sustained, but it re- 
mained for him to solve the mystery. He went out 
in his kyak and had not proceeded far from shore 
when his attention was attracted by what appeared 
to be a whale in the distance. It was a common 
sight so he gave it no heed, and even when the 
supposed whale came closer he paid no attention 
to it. 

Not until the creature came very near and charged 
him with a huge open mouth armed with great teeth, 
did he become alarmed. What to do he did not 
know; there was no chance to escape to the shore; 
he was unarmed, with the exception of a spear which 
26 



Sketches From Oldest America 

seemed altogether too insignificant an instrument 
to defend himself with against such a huge monster; 
yet in his dilemma it was the only chance he had. 
Grasping the spear with a hand rendered firm by 
despair, he awaited the right moment, and just as 
the animal was about to close its massive jaws to 
crush him and his frail kyak (aiming down the 
throat, his fright lending strength to the action) he 
cast the spear with great force. The aim had been 
good and the throw a powerful one. The creature 
instantly dove remaining down for quite a while, 
then floated to the surface, dead. Upon examining 
the body, it was found to be as large as that of a 
whale, at the same time resembling that animal in 
appearance, but in addition it had four legs. The 
mystery had been solved and Ahvooyoolacha at last 
knew the fate of his three brothers. 

The Whales of Alaska 
There are two varieties of the whale much sought 
for on account of the baleen they yield. The Right 
Whale of the Behring Sea, as well as of other waters, 
and the Bow-head that makes its summer run along 
the American coast as far as the Arctic Archipelago. 
In September it strikes westward to Herald Island, 
27 



Sketches From Oldest America 

and in October back to the Behring Sea, where it is 
supposed to spend the winter months at the south- 
ern edge of the ice. It is one of the large members 
of the whale family, sometimes attaining a length 
of sixty feet or more and yielding whalebone some 
times over twelve feet in length. The Bow-head is 
a timid, peaceful animal, preferring to visit the small 
bays and secluded nooks of the northern coast, 
where it can feed unmolested. 

All along the coast of Arctic Alaska, there are 
lagoons of various sizes; many of them have streams 
as feeders, while others have no feeders but have 
openings into the ocean, which become temporarily 
obliterated by sand when there is a heavy sea 
breaking on shore. 

It was into the latter form of lagoon that, a very 
long time ago, a school of Bow-heads had entered. 
The wind blowing on shore had obliterated the 
entrance, so the whales were entrapped with ap- 
parently no means of escape, yet they all crossed 
the beach and regained the ocean, a feat they prob- 
ably could not accomplish to-day. The people 
watched them as they worked their way over the 
beach, the large ones making rapid progress while 
the small ones were very slow. 
28 



Sketches From Oldest America 

The Killer is one of the larger members of the 
whale family, which the natives prefer not to at- 
tack, as it can be very vicious at times. Even much 
further south than Alaska, the creature has the 
reputation among the shore whalemen, of chasing 
the boats to the shore occasionally and has had 
many victims. Its chief food is the seal and beluga, 
while its sly disposition enables it also to capture 
the water birds. Placing itself just beneath the 
surface, with open jaws, it emits a substance that 
attracts the birds who settle down on the waves 
and begin feeding; the Killer then darts forward, 
capturing the birds which it quickly devours. It is 
also said sometimes to attack as large an animal as 
the Fin-back. 



29 



Ill 

The Metigewek 



Ill 

THE METIGEWEK 

The Metigewek was the largest of the numerous 
traditionary birds of Tigara. Its enormous size and 
strength enabled it to seize and bear to the interior 
the whales on which it used to feed. Even to-day 
when the older inhabitants find the skeleton of a 
whale, back from the coast in the interior of the 
country, they declare it was the victim of a Metige- 
wek at some remote time of the past. 

One of the earlier inhabitants has been credited 
with a somewhat similar experience to that of 
Ganymede. 

A hunter having killed a deer was in the act of 
cutting it up preparatory to carrying it home. 
Noticing a shadow coming over the ground, he 
looked up just as a Metigewek swooped down and 
seized him in its enormous claws and bore him 
aloft. The bird carried him to a great height, so 
that the earth was almost lost to view. The man 
having retained his spear began stabbing the bird ; 
at last the wounds proving fatal, the Metigewek 
33 



Sketches From Oldest America 

gradually descended and reached the earth just as it 
expired. That night the hunter slept under the 
wing of the bird, ultimately reaching his home in 
safety. 



34 



IV 

Origin of Man 



IV 

ORIGIN OF MAN 

There is a fascination at the camp-fire. Men 
that have remained silent through the day will be- 
come entertaining under the genial influence of the 
crackling logs as they blaze and send their myriads 
of sparks skyward. So this evening as I examine 
the notes in my Polar log-book, collected at many 
of those fires, I find that man, no matter how hu- 
miliating the admission may be, is forced to yield 
the palm of antiquity to woman and— chewing 
gum. Yet as we pause to consider the subject, 
from the Polar man's point of view, it is but natural 
that woman should be first, for without her aid 
there certainly would be no men. 

My log-book says that at a very early time of the 
world's history, long before day and night had been 
created, or the first man had made his appearance, 
there lived an old woman, indeed very old, for the 
tradition of her having had a beginning, if there 
ever was such a one, had been lost. We must bear 
in mind that during the first stage of the world 
37 



Sketches From Oldest America 

everything remained young and fresh; nothing 
grew old. It was not until a much later date that 
the indiscretion of a boy brought those physiolog- 
ical changes known as growing old into the world 
and placed a limitation to the period of youth. The 
old woman was like a young girl in her appearance 
and feelings, and being the only inhabitant of the 
earth, naturally felt very lonesome and wished for a 
companion. She was one time chewing "pooya" 
(chewing gum) when the thought arose in her 
mind that it would be pleasant to have an image to 
play with, so taking her "pooya" she fashioned a 
man, then by way of ornamentation placed a raven's 
beak on his forehead. 

She was delighted with her success in making 
such a lovely image and on lying down to sleep 
placed it near her side. On awakening her joy was 
great, for the image had come to life and there be- 
fore her was the first man. 



38 



V 

What Brought Age Into the World 



WHAT BROUGHT AGE INTO THE WORLD 

At a time long ago, before old age had been in- 
troduced and while our early ancestors were still 
enjoying a state of perpetual youth, a boy was 
living with his grandmother. One day she re- 
marked that they were out of provisions, to which 
he replied: "Never mind, grandma, I will set a 
snare and we will quickly have an owl to feast on." 
He skipped merrily off and soon had ensnared a 
large white owl. On approaching the bird, the fol- 
lowing conversation took place: 

Owl— "What are you going to do with mc?" 

Boy — "I am going to kill and eat you." 

Owl — " Don't you do it." 

Boy— "Why not?" 

Owl — "If you kill me, I will make you an old 
man." 

Boy — "Grandma and I are hungry, and we are 
going to eat you." 

Owl — "Again I warn you, if you kill me I will 
make an old man of you." 
41 



Sketches From Oldest America 

Notwithstanding the warning, the boy killed the 
owl and started to carry it home. 

Household duties did not hang heavily on the 
ladies of that day, so grandma was killing time by 
watching for the boy's return. At last, slowly ap- 
proaching and dragging a large white owl, she saw 
a withered old man, stricken with the infirmities of 
age. It was her grandson who had left her but a 
short time previous, a merry, happy youth. 

So old age was introduced into the world for the 
first time and has continued ever since. And often 
since that day many an old Inupash ' who has felt 
the infirmity of age coming on has sighed and sin- 
cerely wished that the boy had shown more discre- 
tion by hearkening to the warning of the owl. 

• Inupash, native Arctic inhabitant. 



42 



VI 

Toongna 



VI 

TOONGNA 

The belief in an evil spirit is in all probability as 
old as the inhabitated world. It seems to be one of 
those traditions that has descended with man from 
the most remote times, not having lost but having 
gained strength through its long ages of descent. 
No matter where one may travel, he finds the ma- 
jority of mankind firm believers in such a spirit. 

Even here in the far North among the Polarites 
there is such a belief. "Toongna," the evil one, is 
supposed to be the adversary of man, and to him is 
ascribed all the misfortunes that afflict the people. 
Some he makes sick, while others he causes to be 
unfortunate in their undertakings. If a mother loses 
her new-born babe, Toongna was at the bottom of 
the misfortune, and she is placed under the super- 
stitious ban called "Karookto," not being allowed 
to mingle with the rest of the villagers for a number 
of months, and the same tribal law is enforced in 
all families where death has occurred. Should a 
hunting party visit the interior in quest of deer and 
45 



Sketches From Oldest America 

not meet with success, Toongna has followed them 
and been the cause of their failure. Should foul 
weather with heavy gales arise at an undesirable 
time, Toongna has been the cause. Hence the 
necessity for some one having the power to expel 
this evil spirit that afflicts man in such various ways; 
and the "ongootkoot," rising to the emergency of 
the occasion by pretending to have the desired 
power, early became the important man of the 
tribe. 

"Toongna " seems to have been one of those un- 
fortunate spirits unworthy of having a history, for 
if he ever was on earth as a mortal his parents dis- 
owned him, and no one seems to have the least am- 
bition to be considered one of his descendants. 

He is simply a nagger of men that has had his day. 
Under the growing enlightenment of the people, his 
supposed power is diminishing, and the " karookto" 
is becoming a thing of the past. 



46 



VII 

The "Ongootkoot" 



VII 

THE "ONGOOTKOOT" 

The "Ongootkoot" is the sorcerer, prophet and 
historian. He claims to have the power of expelling 
"Toongna" by his enchantments, and can do such 
marvelous things as change the wind, drive off 
eclipses, avert or drive off misfortunes and expel the 
evil one from the sick. There are two ways of be- 
coming an "Ongootkoot" — one is by inheritance, 
the other by claiming to have performed some mar- 
velous act. The Polar inhabitants are a primitive, 
confiding people, so when one claims to have per- 
formed an act contrary to the laws of nature, there 
are no questions asked or inquiry made; the state- 
ment is simply accepted as a truth. 

At one time long ago there lived a villager who 
had lost both his feet. He, being an invalid, re- 
mained in his iglo, simply existing as an object of 
charity to the neighbors, who were in the habit of 
supplying him with food. During the fall of the 
year, when the weather was growing cold, there 
occurred an eclipse of the sun, at the same time a 
49 



Sketches From Oldest America 



severe earthquake gave the inhabitants great alarm. 
The ground moved and rolled like the ocean waves, 
while large crevices opened in many places allowing 
smoke and sulphurous vapors to escape. 

The people in their fright rushed out from their 
homes; the invalid, forgetting his crippled condi- 
tion, also sought the open air and began jumping 
down the beach on his stumps, or as the people said, 
" He jumped big." No doubt the alarm added to his 
alacrity in his effort to escape, thus gaining for him 
the reputation of being an excellent jumper. The 
eclipse passed off, so also did the earthquake, but 
the villagers all declared that it was the jumping of 
the invalid that caused the phenomena of nature to 
cease, and after that, instead of being an obscure 
cripple, an object of charity to his neighbors, he 
arose to the dignity of being one of the greatest of 
"Ongootkoots." If any of the inhabitants were 
taken ill, the cripple's aid was solicited, and he 
would jump around the sick one a few times, exor- 
cising the evil spirit and commanding it to depart. 
If hunting parties were about to start on expedi- 
tions, they could not expect to meet with success 
unless the cripple had jumped around them and their 
sled a number of times. His fame extended 
50 



Sketches From Oldest America 

throughout the surrounding country, his services 
being solicited from far and near, and he soon be- 
came quite prosperous, the rule among " Ongoot- 
koots " being the greater the pay, the more effica- 
cious the treatment. 

At a far more recent day it was discovered that 
a certain Puneunau had a great admiration for his 
neighbor's dogs, he considering them a toothsome 
dish. The chief banished him from the tribe, with 
the warning that if he returned, the death penalty 
would be inflicted. In his wanderings Puneunau 
led quite a checkered career with its accompanying 
hardships. Several times starvation seemed to stare 
him in the face. It was during one of these latter 
occasions that he discovered the art of running a 
small shm stick down his throat without injury or 
great discomfort. 

After the death of the chief, Puneunau returned 
to the village, claiming he could perform a marvel- 
ous feat, and in proof of the assertion he ran the 
stick down his throat, then went around uttering 
gutteral sounds. The thing seemed wonderful in 
the eyes of the villagers, gaining for him the reputa- 
tion of being an "Ongootkoot." 

One thing troubled Puneunau, however: he was 
51 



Sketches From Oldest America 



still a widower, much against his will, not for any 
lack of perseverance in offering himself to all the 
neighboring widows, but because none of them 
would accept his offer. At last that slight difficulty 
was removed. A widow belonging to another 
tribe came to the village with her children, and her 
son being ill, Puneunau offered his services to cure 
the lad. Day after day he would go to the iglo, 
run the stick down his throat, then walk around ut- 
tering gutteral sounds, but the boy refused to be 
cured and finally died. This, however, did not re- 
lieve the widow of her obligation to pay the " On- 
gootkoot" for his valuable services, and as she was 
very poor and had nothing with which to meet it, 
Puneunau took the widow herself for his fee. 

The Inupash believe there are spirits wandering 
through space. Occasionally one of them, becom- 
ing discontented, desires to enter the world as a 
human being. It looks around, then selects some 
young woman about ready to enter womanhood, 
one that is noted for her virtue and other good quali- 
ties, to become its mother. Having made the selec- 
tion, it awaits the opportunity and uses her as the 
medium for gaining its desire. In due course of 
time a child is born, which on maturity becomes an 
52 



Sketches From Oldest America 

"Ongootkoot" of the first grade. Such births of 
spirits, desirous of entering the world as human 
beings, it is said, have continued down until com- 
paratively recent times. These earth-born spirits had 
the reputation of being men with charmed lives who 
could not be killed, 

" Kownalia " was such an one. His descendants 
will often relate how, when just born, he began 
talking with the people, conversing like an adult. 
At one time while visiting further North, he and a 
number of men ventured on thin ice; the ice broke 
and all were precipitated into the water. " Kow- 
nalia," stepping on the backs of the struggling men, 
walked to the shore uninjured, while all the others 
perished. 

The claims for "Ungmana," another "Ongoot- 
koot " of the first grade, were that he could lay his 
abdomen open, then, placing fuel inside, set the mass 
on fire, the people being allowed to witness the 
blaze and smoke. He would then remove the 
charred mass, and on closing the wound there would 
be no sign left of an injury having been inflicted. 

These " Ongootkoots " have undoubtedly rendered 
a service to their people in the past by acting as their 
historians in preserving their traditions; they have 
53 



Sketches From Oldest America 

also done good in the class of cases where nothing 
more than a faith cure is needed for the sick. Con- 
cerning the latter, the Polarites are not to be too much 
condemned when we consider the large amount of su- 
perstition exhibited by some of the more civilized 
inhabitants of the States, who have unbounded con- 
fidence in their "Faith Healers." The marvelous 
claims that are made for these ' ' Ongootkoots "are un- 
doubtedly due to the zeal of their descendants, who 
are naturally anxious to place their ancestors in as 
favorable a light as possible, especially if they 
themselves aspire to become " Ongootkoots " by in- 
heritance. It is also doubtful if the marvelous deeds 
were ever known until the man had been dead fifty 
years or more. 

The " Ongootkoot," however, has had his day and 
is now on the decline. One often hears the older 
people say, as they shake their heads, that he is not 
the wonderful man he was in the days of old. The 
young people, through their growing enlighten- 
ment, are also losing confidence in the man and his 
claims. Of those who were confirmed by the 
Bishop of Alaska at Point Hope in the summer of 
1903, four were directly descended from spirits 
entering the world as human beings; but they dis- 
54 



Sketches From Oldest America 

carded their supposed birthrights and have become 
zealous church workers. Others have been baptized 
and married to their wives, and are making good 
citizens as well as earnest Christian workers. 

Should one take a trip through the Arctic portion 
of Inupash land, it is doubtful if he would meet 
with very many really non-Christians, for the people 
are now accepting the Nazarene as their great good 
spirit. The workers in the field truly taking an in- 
terest in the people and trying to benefit their con- 
dition have been few, but the people themselves 
have spread the teachings they have received, and 
the seed has fallen on fertile ground. It is true there 
is yet much of the old superstition of the past, but 
it has had its day and is gradually lessening its hold 
on the people. 



55 



VIII 

Webukside 



VIII 

WEBUKSIDE 

There is a firm belief among tiie Polarites that a 
time is to arrive when the world will come to an 
end, it being known as " Webukside " or the Judg- 
ment Day. "Tooloogigra," the great and good 
spirit who was once on earth as a mortal, will be 
present to judge the quick and the dead. All are to 
be examined. The wicked, who through the sinful 
lives they led while on earth have not merited eternal 
happiness, are to be rejected and consumed in the 
great fire which will finally destroy the world. 
Those whose good lives have earned for them 
eternal joy are to be saved; they are to pass with 
" Tooloogigra" into their future home, where they 
will live forever, free from all cares, or sorrows, or 
suffering of any kind. 

When a man dies, it is believed that after the 
third night some member of the tribe, who has 
made the journey before, visits the grave to conduct 
the new one to his home where he is to remain 
while awaiting the coming of "Webukside." On 
59 



Sketches From Oldest America 

the fourth day after a death, some member of the 
family strikes four blows with a hammer, at the re- 
cent home of the deceased, which is a sign of fare- 
well and means that the spirit is not to return to 
that iglo again. With a woman, it takes one day 
longer to pass to the place of waiting, so not until 
after the fourth night are the knocks made. The 
dead have deer-skin masks over their faces and their 
hands are encased in mittens. 

Like the Jews who have so long been awaiting 
the coming of their Messiah, so the Inupash have 
been waiting and looking for the return of " Tooloo- 
gigra " for ages past. Besides liberating day and 
night from their confinement (during his childhood), 
" Tooloogigra " has been credited with one miracle. 
When grown to manhood, he was once making a 
long ocean voyage with some companions in their 
kyaks, and being thirsty, he longed to reach some 
land where fresh water could be procured. His 
thirst becoming urgent, he cast his spear, and the 
western portion of the land now known as Point 
Hope arose from the water. The village of Tigara 
is at the extremity of the storm swept point, which 
used to extend westward much further. 

When "Tooloogigra" had fulfilled his time on 
60 



Sketches From Oldest America 

earth, he did not die as an ordinary mortal, but as- 
cended into the sky, the people standing below, 
watching him until he had faded from sight in the 
distance. 



6i 



IX 

Birth of Tooloogigra 



IX 

BIRTH OF TOOLOOGIGRA 

At the remote time of the earth's history when 
these northern regions were clothed in a verdure of 
ferns and trees, nature presenting a far different ap- 
pearance than at present, men had begun to multi- 
ply on the face of the earth and were living in a 
state of pristine contentment. The necessity for 
building homes to shelter the people had not yet ar- 
rived; the trials and perplexities of the busy world 
were unknown, and the ambition for riches had not 
become the absorbing problem of the day. Day 
and night, according to tradition, had not been 
liberated from their confinement to bestow their 
many benefits on the human race, neither had that 
heedless youth been born who introduced old age 
with its undesirable sequelae into the world. 

At this time there lived a man who was looked 
upon as a powerful chieftain. His home was a 
simple shelter, furnished in the rude fashion of 
those days, but what seemed to place him above 
his fellow men and stamped him as being no ordi- 
65 



Sketches From Oldest America 

nary mortal were two balls hanging up in his home, 
which he guarded zealously ; one was bright and 
beautiful, the other dark. Living with the chieftain 
were his wife and daughter, the latter just budding 
into womanhood. She was noted for her many 
virtues, while her laughing, merry disposition ren- 
dered her a favorite among the people, and her 
society was much sought. 

Wandering through space just then was a spirit 
grown tired of the aimless life it was leading. It 
longed to enter the world, to become a mortal like the 
merry, happy people whom it daily saw. There was 
but one way in which the spirit could gain its desire; 
that was to be born into the world. On looking 
around in its wanderings, it fell in love with the 
great virtue and beauty of the chieftain's daughter 
and decided she should be its medium for entering 
the world, and therefore hovered around awaiting 
its opportunity. 

One day the young woman's mother requested 
her to visit the spring as she wished some fresh, 
cool water. The girl, like a dutiful daughter, skipped 
off merrily to fulfil her mother's command. 

The spirit having heard the mother's request, has- 
tened forward and entered the spring. The day 
66 



Sketches From Oldest America 

was warm, the water looked inviting, and the 
young princess, being thirsty, first dipped up for 
herself some of the clear sparkling water, and with 
it dipped up the spirit. Taking a long drink, which 
seemed particularly refreshing, she swallowed the 
spirit, and returning to her mother, not dreaming of 
what had occurred, she was soon at play with her 
companions. As time went by the spirit grew and 
the princess became the mother of a son. She 
named him " Tooloogigra," and the oldest Ameri- 
cans of the Arctic have ever since looked upon him 
as their great spirit. 



67 



Day and Night 



DAY AND NIGHT 

Young " Tooloogigra," inheriting his mother's 
happy disposition, was soon the pet of his grand- 
parents. As he began to run around, he became in- 
fatuated with the bright bail that he saw hanging 
in his home, but his grandfather would let him have 
only the dark one to play with. He rolled it around 
in his childish play, yet it did not meet with his 
fancy. He often cried and teased grandpa for the 
other one. The old chieftain, although very affec- 
tionate and indulgent in every other respect, refused 
to let his young grandson have the bright ball that 
he had been guarding so faithfully for so many 
years. 

At last an opportunity arrived for the boy to gain 
his desire. The chieftain was absent from home 
and some people venturing into the place were 
amazed at the great beauty of the balls. Curiosity 
has always been a strong element in the human 
character, and as the people of that day were no ex- 
ception to the rule, they soon experienced a desire 
71 



Sketches From Oldest America 

to examine those balls. Unfastening the bright one 
from its place of confinement, they carried it outside 
to admire, when little " Tooloogigra," gaining pos- 
session, broke the ball with his hands. Instantly a 
bright light, which had been kept in confinement, 
escaped, flooding the world with daylight for the 
first time. The people in their amazement threw 
up their hands and cried "couru," which has ever 
since remained the name for daylight. 

Not satisfied with their experience and the changed 
condition of things, they soon had the second ball 
unfastened and in their hands, when little " Tooloo- 
gigra," gaining possession of this also, broke it as 
he had the first. A dark vapor was liberated, 
which, spreading over the earth, extinguished the 
bright light. The people then cried "oongnoo," 
from which has been derived "oongnoorpuk " 
— night. 

Ever since that time, many a polar mother has in- 
terested her children by telling them how young 
" Tooloogigra " liberated day and night from their 
confinement. 



72 



XI 

Man's First Constructed Home 



XI 

MAN'S FIRST CONSTRUCTED HOME 

North America, having gradually emerged from 
the water, had come into existence. To the east of 
Alaska, the warm Atlantic currents had become re- 
stricted by the rising land and did not flow so 
freely as formerly. To the south, the Seward Pen- 
insula was forming, first appearing as a string of 
islands with shoals, then gradually rising more and 
more, until it restricted the ocean currents from the 
Pacific. The Arctic regions, being deprived of their 
warming influences, were beginning to feel the cold 
of winter. 

The birds had taken the warning and were com- 
mencing to form their migratory habits by flying 
south to escape the cold and to find regions where 
their food supply was more abundant, returning 
north each summer to their earlier homes for the 
nesting season. The mammoth had also appar- 
ently tried to make its escape, but had perished in 
large numbers in the region of Escholtz Bay, at a 
section often called the Mammoth Graveyard. The 
75 



Sketches From Oldest America 

birds and ducks seemed to be trying to overtake 
the retreating sun as it worked its way southward, 
the godwit continuing its flight as far as New 
Zealand, where it yet continues to spend the winter 
months. 

Many of the inhabitants of Alaska, in trying to 
make their escape from the cold, apparently pre- 
ferred to follow the sun in its western course. 
These people had progressed far enough to know 
the art of canoe building. The remains of three of 
their canoes are to be seen to-day on mountains in- 
land, where they have been well preserved by the 
ice and snow, remaining as silent witnesses of an 
early day and showing where the ocean used to be 
in the remote past. Also on higher ground inland 
can be seen the skeleton of a whale; while on the 
Seward Peninsula, on land between four and five 
hundred feet higher than the ocean, an acquaintance 
found a driftwood log in a fair state of preserva- 
tion. The people, following the chain of islands 
which separate Behring Sea from the Pacific Ocean, 
reached Siberia, which they probably crossed. We 
read that there lived in Europe at a very early date, 
a rude race of hunters and fishers, closely allied to 
the Eskimos, who were apparently driven there 
76 



Sketches From Oldest America 

from the east by the increasing cold. They seem 
to have made an impression on the older languages 
of Europe in the line of their words and grammar, 
and it is also probable that their tradition of the 
earliest state of man may have led to the fable of 
the sea nymph. 

The Sev^'ard Peninsula continued rising until at 
last it entirely emerged above the water, disclosing 
those wonderful deposits of gold that of late years 
have made Nome famous throughout the world. 
The rising land formed a barrier against the warm- 
ing influence of the Japan current. Then the Arctic 
winters set in with their utmost severity, continuing 
until at last Nature came to the relief of this ice- 
bound region. A portion of the land nearest Asia 
sank, forming what is now known as the Behring 
Straits, again admitting the Japan current to exert 
its ameliorating influence on the Arctic sections. 
Our seasons then assumed pretty much the same 
conditions they have now. Tradition states that in 
the past there have been severe earthquakes in this 
section and it may be due to such a cause that the 
land subsided. 

As the seasons grew more and more severe. 
Nature, according to tradition, took care of the seal 
77 



Sketches From Oldest America 

and the wolf, by changing the fat of the former to 
the blubber of to-day, and by causing the thin, short 
hair of the latter to grow into the thick, warm fur 
of the present. Man, with his superior intellect, 
was left to solve his own problem. Those people 
who had remained behind soon found that their 
cave-dwellings were not a sufficient protection 
against the cold, which was recurring with greater 
severity each succeeding winter, and undoubtedly 
many perished. The polar bear had solved the 
problem of sheltering herself by building a home, 
according to circumstances, either on the land, or on 
the ocean ice, and it was the latter that suggested 
to man how to construct his first mound house, 
called iglo. 

The female bear, in making the winter home in 
which her cub is born, selects a site where the ocean 
ice extends up against a cliflf, and where the snow 
has drifted the deepest; with her massive paws she 
digs into the drift, throwing the snow behind her. 
The entrance becomes filled, while the drifting 
snow soon obliterates any external sign of her 
presence. A good-sized room is formed and a 
small hole in the roof, made by the warmth inside, 
acts as a ventilator. The escaping steam is the sign 
78 



Sketches From Oldest America 

which shows the hunter where a bear is to be pro- 
cured. She makes a hole in the ice, at one end of 
the room, through which she can dive to procure a 
seal when hungry. Here she has a warm, com- 
fortable home for herself and cub, where they re- 
main until the warmer weather of spring reminds 
the family that it is time to begin their travels with 
the ice pack. 

Man imitated the bear in constructing his iglo. 
First excavating the ground for a short distance, he 
erected over it a frame of driftwood and whale 
jaws. At one end of the room the excavation was 
made somewhat deeper, a hole large enough to ad- 
mit a man being left in the floor over the excavation 
to serve as an entrance, and a driftwood passageway 
ending at a mound left open at the top, whose 
elevation prevented the snow drifting in, made an exit 
to the outer world. A small hole in the roof of the 
one room acted as a ventilator and a larger one 
covered with the dried intestines of a seal served as 
a window. All was then covered over with sods 
and earth, making a home constructed on the same 
principle as that of the bear; one that resisted the 
cold and could be easily warmed by the seal-oil 
lamp. The same principle is still adhered to in 
79 



Sketches From Oldest America 

constructing the modern iglo, though a small room 
has been added at the entrance to serve as a cook- 
ing room, while for the hole in the floor for an en- 
trance a small door has been substituted. 



80 



XII 

The Mammoth 



XII 

THE MAMMOTH 

The traditions regarding the mammoth, called the 
"keleegewuk," are few and short. They are not 
of an interesting nature, further than to give some 
idea of the great age of these traditions. They were 
undoubtedly much longer at first, but by their de- 
scent through a vast length of time, they now ap- 
pear in their present curtailment. There is one that 
gives a slight insight into the condition of those 
early days, both as regards the heat of the weather, 
and the changes that have taken place with the 
wolf. 

A man had gone into the interior on a hunting ex- 
pedition. The weather proved to be very warm, so 
he sought the shelter of a cave, intending to await 
the passing of the heat of the day. He had not been 
in the shelter long before the sound of a heavy ani- 
mal passing rapidly over the earth greeted his ears, 
and on looking out he saw a mammoth in full flight, 
the huge creature exhibiting great fear, as it was 
being chased by a thin, short-haired wolf. The 
83 



Sketches From Oldest America 

man watched the two until they had passed from 
sight. 

The fear exhibited by the mammoth for so small 
an animal as the wolf puts one in mind of the re- 
ports that the modern elephant will occasionally ex- 
hibit much alarm when a mouse appears in its ex- 
closure. 



84 



XIII 

Fire-Making 



XIII 

FIRE-MAKING 

The art of fire-making was known among these 
people at a very remote time. The earliest method 
appears to have been through the agency of iron 
pyrites, called "cozgeen" or "igneen,"and from 
the latter has been derived "ignek," the Tigara word 
for fire. Two pieces of " igneen," being struck to- 
gether, would emit a spark ; a small-sized heap of 
tinder being placed on the ground the operator 
would continue striking the glancing blows until a 
lucky spark ignited the mass. The operation, to 
say the least, must have required a great amount of 
patience on the part of the operator. It was the 
only method of fire-making known for a great length 
of time; then the second method was happily dis- 
covered. 

It had been found that a small round stick with a 
piece of flint inserted in the end, revolved by hand, 
would bore through bone, ivory or even stone. 
Later on some inventive genius introduced the bow 
and string, to revolve the instrument more rapidly, 
87 



Sketches From Oldest America 

while a wooden mouth-piece was used to exert pres- 
sure and to steady the instrument. It is still in use 
for boring, a piece of wire having replaced the flint. 
After the introduction of the bow and string and the 
mouth-piece, it was found that the rapidly revolving 
tool excited friction enough to produce fire. That 
was the second method known, but it did not dis- 
place the "igneen " which continued in use until 
rendered obsolete by the well-known flint and steel. 
This last is of comparatively recent introduction, 
iron not having been known in Alaska until the past 
fifty or sixty years. The domestic match, however, 
has now almost displaced all the other methods, 
although the flint and steel are still in use with some 
of the older smokers. 



XIV 

Instruments 



XIV 

INSTRUMENTS 

Man is more poorly endowed, both as regards 
speed and natural weapons of defense, than almost 
any other member of the animal kingdom. Had it 
not been for his superior intellect from the first, he 
would undoubtedly have been exterminated long 
ago. From the earliest time he has been forced to 
exercise his ingenuity to make amends for the nat- 
ural inferiority he labored under in striving for his 
food, yet he has advanced step by step until he has 
proved his superiority by subduing all the other 
creatures of his kingdom, standing to-day without 
a rival, his only capable adversary being his fellow 
man. 

There was, of course, a very early prehistoric 
time, at which he was forced to procure his food 
without artificial aid, the Inupash will tell you; 
then, as his inventive genius began exercising itself, 
a stone with a thong attached was employed to dis- 
patch the game he sought. The stick sharpened at 
one end was probably introduced about the same 
91 



Sketches From Oldest America 

time, it being the forerunner of the spear, which has 
proved as useful for small game as it has for the 
great brown bear. When the animal charged, the 
hunter quickly placed the butt of the spear on the 
ground, and the bear, thus coming in contact with 
the sharpened end, was pierced and killed. The 
noose also proved of service for bear and deer. If 
hunting the former, a steep bank, where the crea- 
ture was known to walk, was chosen and the noose 
set. On becoming entangled, the bear in its strug- 
gle fell over the bank, where it would hang until 
dead. The sling probably never proved very effica- 
cious, as its accuracy for birds on the wing is too 
uncertain. It was useful for casting stones into the 
ocean to frighten and drive the beluga into the nets 
set for that purpose. The " kalimetown " was a far 
more effective instrument. It was made of seven 
small ivory balls, each having a string of deer sinew 
attached, the strings being joined at the end by a 
feather. On being thrown into a flock of ducks on 
the wing, any one of the balls striking a bird would 
act as a pivot for the others to encircle the victim 
and bring it to the ground. 

Bone or ivory hooks were used in fishing through 
the ice, the line being made from strips of whale- 
92 



Sketches From Oldest America 

bone or spines from the feather of the gannet. A 
spear formed from two pieces of bone arranged in 
the shape of a V proved effective in capturing fish. 
The net was of service, not only for fish and beluga, 
but also for ptarmigan and foxes. For the latter, it 
was set stationary, the hunters remaining hidden in 
snow shelters constructed for the occasion. On the 
approach of a fox, the men in hiding jumped up and 
made a noise, and the frightened creature in its 
efforts to escape was driven forward into the net. 
In netting ptarmigan, the only caution necessary is 
not to frighten the birds, but to keep them walking 
forward slowly. The meshes of the net are large 
and of fine sinew; the bird on attempting to pass 
through, becomes entangled. On the cliffs, during 
the summer months, the hand-net on a pole is a 
favorite device for capturing the murres, which fly 
back and forth among the rocks in immense num- 
bers, making one continuous war night and day. 
These methods of hunting are all very old, yet all 
are still in use among the Inupash with the excep- 
tion of that of netting foxes, the net having been 
abandoned for the steel trap. 

Bows and arrows are of very ancient origin, too 
remote to trace out their first introduction. The 
93 



Sketches From Oldest America 

bow was made from selected pieces of driftwood, 
reinforced by strips of wlialebone, and bound with 
deer sinew. The arrow had two principal forms of 
head, one of brown flint, the other of deer horn, 
much longer than the first and nicked on the sides, 
to make it hold in the wounded game. On being 
struck, an animal would try to dislodge the arrow, 
giving the hunter a chance to send a second one, and 
so it would continue until a lucky shot proved fatal. 
In constructing the flint arrow-heads, two instru- 
ments were used, the "natkenn," a small hammer 
made preferably from the base of the horn of a 
deer where it enters into the bony portion of the 
skull, and the "kigleen," a kind of sharpener made 
from a piece of deer horn, with a small round piece 
of ivory overlapping and bound to its upper surface. 
A piece of flint being chosen, the man making the 
arrow-head would place a deerskin mitten on his 
left hand, then, placing the flint on the palm and 
wrist of the protected hand, would strike the edge 
of the flint with the " natkenn " so that small slivers 
would be detached from the under surface. The 
operation would be continued until the flint had 
assumed the proper shape, and then the " kigleen " 
was employed to drive and make the edge even. 
94 



Sketches From Oldest America 

For the horn arrow-heads, deer horns were 
immersed in hot water, then straightened and 
shaped with stone knives. Two pieces of feather, 
properly bound at the lower end of the shaft, gave 
the arrow a rotary motion as it passed through the 
air, and insured a greater accuracy. It is a principle 
that has been adopted by manufacturers of modern 
rifle guns to impart to the projectile a spinning 
motion in its flight. 

The first guns introduced among the Inupash 
were the old flintlocks, although this was probably 
not over thirty-five or forty years ago; they must 
have been the flintlocks left over with some trading 
company, after the introduction of the percussion 
caps, that had found their way this long distance 
across the country. 

"Koonooya" is the name of the villager who 
was the first to own a double-barreled shotgun; 
previous to that he had killed fourteen white, and 
two brown bears with his bow and arrow. The 
older people laugh as they relate how those stand- 
ing near the man firing would place their hands 
over their ears to deaden the sound, while the 
little girls cried, declaring the big noise hurt their ears. 

The first knives were of flint, jade and slate; the 
95 



Sketches From Oldest America 

boring tools of flint; the adze of jade; hammers 
were made mostly from jade and wedges of bone; 
while flint was used to saw the jade, and the brown 
variety was employed for tools. The women's 
knives were largely of slate, but sometimes of jade, 
and their needles of ivory or bone. 

Pots were crudely manufactured by mixing clay 
with heavy-spar that had been roasted and 
powdered fine, — called "ketik," blood from a seal 
being added and sometimes the pin-feathers from a 
bird. Utensils thus made were less liable to frac- 
ture than those formed simply from clay. Occa- 
sionally a flat stone was hollowed out to about the 
depth of a frying-pan, and used for a cooking 
utensil, it having the advantage of boiling more 
quickly than the clay vessel over the seal-oil lamp. 
These lamps were simply flat stones, hollowed out 
with the flint instruments so as to hold oil. A few 
copper kettles of Russian make found their way 
into Tigara from the Diomedes about sixty years 
back; they were very expensive and could be 
afforded by but few. The " Ongootkoots " fre- 
quently broke up these kettles and pounded the 
copper into knives, these being the first metal blades 
known among the Inupash. 
96 



Sketches From Oldest America 

Wood shovels, tipped with bone, and picks made 
from whale jaws, were employed in cutting sods 
and excavating the ground for the iglos, and also 
for digging pits in the deep snow, back in the 
valleys, into which the deer would fall and could 
then be easily captured. 

The first spear heads were of bone or ivory; later 
on they were nicked on the sides so as to hold more 
firmly. Afterward, the heads were made movable 
with a line attached, having the advantage of hold- 
ing crosswise when driven well in. About one 
hundred miles east of the village of Tigara, in the 
land of the Kivalinyas, a man once darted a beluga, 
but becoming entangled in the line he was dragged 
off into the ocean. The beluga was afterward 
killed at the mouth of the Mackenzie River, it hav- 
ing towed the body considerably more than one 
thousand miles. 

For clothing, deerskins were stretched and scraped 
with flint instruments, then dressed with powdered 
heavy-spar, making the skin soft and pliable. 
Fresh skins from the common seal were rolled up 
and kept in a warm place until the hair loosened, 
then stretched and dried, and afterward scraped and 
worked until soft. These were employed to make 
97 



Sketches From Oldest America 

the upper portions of the summer waterproof boots 
and shoes. The skin of the giant seal, treated in 
the same way, was used for boot soles, the soles 
being crimped into shape by biting with the teeth. 
All sewing was done with deer or whale sinew, the 
former being considered the best. The same meth- 
ods are yet employed for dressing skins and making 
clothmg as of old. 

Lines for the seal spear, hauling lines for the boat 
or sled, and all lashings, are made from the skin of 
the giant seal, treated as above, then cut into long 
strings. 

All the stone implements that were formerly in 
use have been rendered obsolete by the introduction 
of iron, and it is now difficult to procure any of 
these old reminders of the past. 



98 



XV 
Music 



t.efC. 



XV 

MUSIC 

The Polarites have but two musical instruments, 
the "ahtooktoora," or one-string fiddle, and the 
"calown," or one-headed drum. The latter is by 
far the more important, being used on all festive 
occasions both to beat time for the dancers and also 
to accompany the singers. 

Many of the songs of these people relate frag- 
ments of tradition, while others deal with a crude 
mythology. There is yet another class, looked upon 
as prayers; some of these are very old, and are 
highly treasured by the possessors, being guarded 
as great secrets. When a father is about to pass 
away, he will call his son and impart to him the 
song as a legacy. No one else is allowed to be 
present on such an occason, it being regarded in the 
same solemn light as a dying parent's blessing. 
The son in his turn, when he has grown old, and is 
about ready to take leave of the world, will impart 
the song to the next one in line of inheritance. 
These heirlooms have descended through families 

lOI 



Sketches From Oldest America 

from one generation to another for an immense 
length of time. They are supposed to have a 
mystic charm and are never sung loud, but are 
hummed in a low voice. No outsider is allowed to 
learn the words or hear the tunes. If a seal on the 
ice is very watchful, the hunter that has received 
such a legacy will lie still and sing the magic 
words, at which the animal is supposed to go to 
sleep and so be readily approached. The same is 
said about the whale; if it has been struck, and 
there is danger of its being lost, the initiated will 
sing the magic words, after which the whale can be 
captured. 

One song of the first named class relates the ex- 
periences of a young woman. Her parents, who 
are growing old, are desirous that she should 
choose a husband from among the young men of 
the village. She, refusing to do so, selects a skull 
as her lover. Her mother is indignant, and one day 
during the daughter's absence accuses her son-in- 
law of keeping her awake the previous night by too 
much whispering. Taking a stick she thrusts it 
into the eye socket, then tosses the skull out-of- 
doors. The wind rolls it down the beach and far 
out into the ocean. The daughter, on returning 
1 02 



Sketches From Oldest America 

and finding her lover absent, eagerly inquires where 
he is. On going outside the trail of the skull is 
discovered and followed to the water. A mouse 
coming along the trail is killed and, on its being 
thrown into the ocean, a path is made visible which 
leads down into the shades. There the lover is 
found; he has grown a new body and is living with 
two old women. The young woman is overjoyed 
at finding her Orpheus, but he, pointing to the 
wound in the eye, tells her that her mother was the 
cause of it and refuses to return with her. She 
mournfully retraces her steps to earth and decides 
to choose the other road thence leading to Paradise. 
Taking the winding path that ascends toward the 
sky, she finds that the scene grows more enchant- 
ing as she proceeds. At last she arrives at the 
moon, where everything is found to be most beau- 
tiful. After viewing the amazing scene, she ex- 
presses a desire to cast her eyes upon the earth 
again, but the keeper refuses to open the door. 
Finally, however, her earnest pleadings have the de- 
sired effect, and he concedes to her request by open- 
ing the door a little. While she is looking down, a 
great shout is heard, as the villagers cry out, 
"There's the new moon!" One man, taking a 
103 



Sketches From Oldest America 

cup, tosses water so high that it enters the door of 
the moon; at the same time he shouts, "Send me a 
whale." A second man does the same, but tosses 
the water only a short distance, for he has met with 
disappointment in his whaling. All these scenes, 
with the distinctness of the voices, have the effect 
of making her homesick to return to the village. 
She pleads with the doorkeeper to allow her to re- 
trace her steps, but he declares that the path has 
vanished, and that no one entering the moon can 
return by the same road. She, becoming disconso- 
late, is at last informed that if she will braid a rope 
long enough to reach the earth a descent can be 
made by that means; so she sets to work and after 
diligent labor the task is ultimately completed. As 
she starts to lower herself, the doorkeeper tells her 
to keep her eyes closed until her feet touch the 
ground, and following his instructions she at last 
reaches the earth once more. 



104 



XVI 

Wooden Faces 



XVI 

WOODEN FACES 

Many families treasure old family portraits- 
paintings of ancestors who have rendered them- 
selves famous in one way or another. Such paint- 
ings have their unwritten stories, repeated by word 
of mouth from one generation to another, thereby 
preserving the family history which is looked back 
upon with pride by the descendants. 

Among the inhabitants of the Arctic regions the 
same sentiment long ago prevailed. They had no 
pencils or paints, neither did they know anything 
of the painter's art, so with their stone knives or 
other rude tools they carved faces from driftwood, 
which were hung up in their homes as mementos 
of former great men and ancestors. With these 
faces were always associated the unwritten stories of 
the men they represented, descending by word of 
mouth from one generation to another, thereby pre- 
serving the family history. Sometimes the accounts 
of the deeds these men performed were carved on 
ivory, thus aiding in the preservation of their stories. 
107 



Sketches From Oldest America 

It is doubtful if tiiese masks were very good like- 
nesses of the individuals, but they have served their 
purpose remarkably well. It is also doubtful if our 
more civilized artists could have done much better 
than these untrained sculptors with the same rude 
tools and materials with which they had to work. 
Sometimes the untutored artist would create an un- 
satisfactory face, one rather hideous in its appear- 
ance; then he would declare that he had made the 
face of Toongna. At other times faces would be 
created without any intention of their representing 
any particular individual. Such faces were hung up 
in homes for the same reason that we adorn our 
walls with oil paintings or photographs, simply to 
look at them. Other large faces were made and 
used in the festivities of a feast, but 1 have never 
learned that such faces were looked upon with any 
degree of superstition, as many have supposed. 



io8 



XVII 

The Evolution of the Cook 



XVII 

THE EVOLUTION OF THE COOK 

The Arctic cook's necessary tools are first a fire, 
then a pot and a spoon or stick, and a piece of seal 
meat. Judging from tradition, these must have 
been known to the first old woman. The forerun- 
ner of the spoon was the " allutok," a name derived 
from two words, " allukto," to lick, and "tock," 
occurring only in the construction of compound 
words and having a reference to bringing. The 
first "allutok "was simply a small stick like the 
Chinese chop-stick. It continued in use for a great 
many centuries, or to within the past ten or twelve 
years. Since then it has been entirely replaced by 
the modern spoon, which has retained the same 
name. 

Calling boiled seal meat the first, we will look 
upon "pooya" as the second triumph of the culi- 
nary art. I give the recipe for number two. At the 
same time, it is doubtful if any of the modern 
ladies of the kitchen will care to experiment with 
its manufacture. The only things of interest about 
III 



Sketches From Oldest America 

"pooya" are its age, the ingredients and style of 
its construction, and its one great product (accord- 
ing to the Inupash)— the first man. 

During those very early days, the woman ap- 
pears not to have washed her dishes, although she 
may have spent a great deal of time in the water. 
The recipe says: Scrape the old dried dinner from 
the " allutok" used at a previous feast of seal meat. 
To the scrapings add a small pinch of the tender pin 
feathers of a bird. The two ingredients are to be 
mixed, then masticated until metamorphosed into 
chewing-gum. 

There were no clocks or watches in those early 
days, so the Polar man's first mother had lots of 
time. After a few centuries had passed, some 
genius invented a new form of chewing-gum called 
"anoon." It appears to have been the third tri- 
umph in the culinary line. Seal oil is boiled; the 
upper portion being poured off, the thick sediment 
remaining is again boiled until it becomes black and 
nearly burnt, when it is ready for chewing. The 
use of this is said to shorten time considerably, but 
the mass does not look inviting. 

"Keveh," made by warming deer tallow, then 
beating it into a light mass with salmon berries, was 

112 



Sketches From Oldest Ainerica 

the fourth innovation, and "ahkootoo," the fifth. 
" Ahkootoo " is made from deer marrow, mixed with 
whale oil, a small amount of soup from boiled deer 
meat and also some of the meat cut fine. The mass 
is to be beaten until it becomes quite light. It is an 
article of food very highly esteemed by the 
Inupash. 

These remained the only dishes known to the 
cook for a vast length of time, but 1 take it that 
much meat and fish were devoured raw. On the 
first introduction of flour, the people did not care 
for it, but about 1890 they learned the art of making 
" nookpowras," flour mixed with a small amount of 
water, then dropped into boiling seal or whale oil. 
" Nookpowras" proved quite popular, and flour be- 
came a demand. 

A few years back instructions were begun among 
the young people at Tigara in the simple art of 
cooking. At first the girls viewed it in the line of a 
novelty, but when they noticed the eligible young 
men picking out the cooks for their wives, it was 
astonishing to see what zeal all the marriageable 
girls suddenly developed. As soon as they had 
learned to turn a slapjack, or to make a cup of cof- 
fee, they would, on returning to their homes in the 
113 



Sketches From Oldest America 

evening, pass around among the young men, 
bragging of what good cooks they were; or if a 
whale ship was sighted, off would scamper the 
cooks, anxious to be the first on board, invariably 
hunting up the cooks' galley, where they introduced 
themselves as cooks, seeming to feel that there should 
be a professional bond of sympathy between them. 

It was not alone in cooking that instructions were 
given, but also in the art of sewing; simple cutting 
was taught and the making of such things as towels, 
snow shirts and trousers. 

At one time the young tribal princess and her 
companion were under instruction. They tried to 
excel all previous apprentices in various ways. No 
sooner would the breakfast dishes be through with 
than the girls would disappear out-of-doors. On 
searching for them, they would be found in some 
secluded corner playing housekeeping; or, if a 
doctor's patient came along, after his departure 
they would prescribe small powders of flour for 
each other. When the time came for them to re- 
ceive instruction in sewing, they were set to mak- 
ing woolen trousers. A great amount of whisper- 
ing and tittering went on; then when the work was 
brought for inspection it was found that, as before 
114 



Sketches From Oldest America 

these girls had tried to excel all previous attempts. 
They had procured some bright pieces of calico with 
which they had trimmed the garments in a style the 
princess thought quite pretty. Fancy trousers im- 
mediately became the rage among the villagers. 
One young man of dudish propensities came out 
with a pail that had been worked in rings of various 
colors down each leg, while his competitor intro- 
duced knee breeches made from fancy bed ticking, 
heavily frilled at the knees and fancily embroidered 
in bright colors. The village belles, not to be out- 
done by the young men, discarded the old bone 
fish-hooks they had been wearing for ear jewelry 
and adopted the more natty safety-pin, at the same 
time making for themselves pretty waist belts with 
can-openers for danglers, and also giving their 
cloaks a liberal supply of the same. 

It was the beginning of a new era among the 
people. They were awaking from the long sleep 
they had been taking, ever since the beginning of 
the Polar race. Old ways that had been followed 
from the most remote time were to give way to the 
new conditions that were advancing, and would 
ultimately end in the improvement and benefit of 
the people. 

115 



Sketches From Oldest America 

The art of cooking has now greatly advanced. 
Nearly all the young people understand how to cook. 
It is doubtful if there is an iglo in the village that 
has not one or two cooks. Eating raw meat is 
pretty much of the past, its place being filled by 
bread, slapjacks, soup, and tea or coffee. Nearly 
all the young people can make their own yeast, and 
as good a loaf of bread as is to be found anywhere, 
far surpassing their instructor. Soap and water, and 
with them cleanliness, have also been introduced. 
If in traveling along the coast one meets with clean 
young natives, who ask for a piece of soap, he may 
know that they are from Tigara, or have spent a 
season or two in the village; at least so say the per- 
sons who have had this experience. 



XVIII 

Chokarluke 



XVIII 

CHOKARLUKE 

Luke occurs frequently as an affix to many nouns, 
more especially in the names of individuals, but no 
one seems able to throw any light on the meaning 
of it. If it ever had any, it has been lost. In the 
interpretation of the names of individuals, Katuktor- 
luke becomes Lost Luke; Covewluke, Slop-bucket 
Luke; Chummerroyluke, Beads-on-the-hair Luke; 
Tatkealuke, Moon Luke; and Chokarluke, Whale- 
bone Luke. 

Chokarluke was the traditionary strong man of 
the Polar race. He lived in the neighborhood of 
Cape Lisburne, near which place the traveler may 
see two large stones that he has been credited with 
carrying in his arms and placing in their present 
position. They were used for the purpose of 
stretching his seal lines to dry. He is also credited 
with having been a wonderful pedestrian, having 
had great power of endurance. At one time the 
neighbors had killed a whale but were in danger of 
losing their prize, the strong ocean current threaten- 
119 



Sketches From Oldest America 

ing to carry it away. Chokarluke, happening along, 
seized the whale by the tail and lifted it half out of 
the water and upon the ice, a deed of strength far 
surpassing any of our modern strong men's feats 
and well earning for him the name of Whalebone 
Luke. 



XIX 

Introduction of Tobacco 



XIX 

INTRODUCTION OF TOBACCO 

There is always a pleasure in recording the deeds 
of great men, and although they may have been 
taking their long sleep for many a year, yet those 
innovations they introduced still live on. So I take 
pleasure in introducing "Nanoona" for the first 
time, and leave it to the historian to record his name 
along with that of " Bobo," the introducer of roast 
pork, or to place this story with that of Sir Walter 
Raleigh's involuntary bath. 

The inhabitants of the Arctic Circle are as fond of 
their smoke as any other race of men, but the high 
price of the first tobacco necessitated the invention 
of the small pipe, and also the method of smoking 
which is peculiar to the Inupash. The tobacco is 
first cut fine, then the bowl of the pipe, which holds 
about as much as a thirty-two cartridge shell, hasa pel- 
let of fine wood shavings crowded into its base. A 
small amount of tobacco is then introduced, about 
enough to give one or two puffs, and a piece of 
tinder being placed at the edge, fire is struck with a 
123 



Sketches From Oldest Afnerica 

flint and steel. The smoker is now ready to enjoy 
himself; he takes a long pull and then tries to swal- 
low the smoke, but lower down there is an objec- 
tion; the stomach refuses to be considered a smoke 
bag, and, puckering up, does all in its power to re- 
pel the intrusion, while above the act of swallowing 
is persisted in. At last the stomach gains the victory 
and the smoke is expelled, the smoker coughs, 
wipes his eyes and puts the pipe away. He has had 
a good smoke. 

It was during the earlier days of the past century 
that a small amount of the strong Russian tobacco 
found its way through Siberia and across the Beh- 
ring Straits. " Nanoona " was a great traveler for 
those days, and had ventured as far south as what is 
now known as the Seward Peninsula. Obtaining 
some of the tobacco, he returned to his home, and 
the news soon spread that "Nanoona" could actually 
swallow fire and then belch forth smoke. The 
thing seemed incredible; it even surpassed the 
doings of the wonderful "Ongootkoot" who was 
very successful in driving off eclipses, thereby sav- 
ing the villagers from some terrible catastrophes. 
At the appointed time the people gathered, filling 
"Nanoona's" iglo; even the roof was packed. 
124 



^^^ 


« 






i^ 


. V ^ 


• 


«ti* 


lf<«-- 


ir 


Sv 





Sketches From Oldest America 

The seal-gut window having been removed, the 
people gathered there several rows deep, all desir- 
ous of witnessing the wonderful act. 

Our hero no doubt felt the importance of the 
occasion and filled his pipe more times than his dis- 
cretion should have allowed ; first came the stage of 
exhilaration, the world looked beautiful, and he 
spoke entertainingly of the traditions of the past, a 
subject that is always interesting to an Inupash, 
even if he has already heard them many times; 
then came the well-known after effects, which 
nearly all beginners with the weed experience. 

His transient indisposition served as no warning 
to the people; neither did the odor of the smoke 
that they had been forced to shield their noses from. 
Had they not seen him swallow fire and belch forth 
smoke ? Had they not seen him during the stage of 
exhilaration } They all wished to pass through a 
similar experience, but tobacco was scarce and held 
at a fabulous price. One pull at the pipe was worth 
two dressed sealskins; or a pipeful of the weed, 
affording two good swallows, cost two deer- 
skins. Only the wealthy could afford such a 
luxury. 

" Nanoona " has long since gone to his rest, but his 
125 



Sketches From Oldest America 

name remains green among the villagers. To-day 
the traveler can see his elevated grave at Tigmea- 
rook, about six miles east of the village of 
Tigara, at which place his career came to a sud- 
den end through the agency of an arrow driven by 
the bow of an enemy. 



126 



XX 

Winter Evenings and Stories 



XX 

WINTER EVENINGS AND STORIES 

The inhabitants of the busy world have no end of 
amusements, besides their newspapers and maga- 
zines with which to pass their leisure hours. It is 
not so with the less fortunate inhabitants of the far 
north. Their winter evenings are long and their 
homes but dimly lighted by the seal-oil lamps. To 
the uninitiated, it would seem a dreary sight, yet 
the people have their enjoyment in the shape of an 
occasional dance, a most innocent form of amuse- 
ment, being as much singing as dancing, accom- 
panied by the beating of the one-headed drum. 

The dancer stands up and makes a few graceful 
movements with the arms, as well as limbering at 
the knee joints, then sits down. Others go through 
the same motions in their turn, while the audience 
does the singing. Their main festivities occur at 
the full of the moon, in the month of "Nekanok- 
kochevik," corresponding to our December, at which 
time, besides the dancing and feasting, presents are 
given by the leading men. 
129 



Sketches From Oldest America 

Their other form of amusement is story-telling. 
The stories may be old, but that makes no difference 
to an Inupash, he is one of the most attentive 
listeners, no matter how many times he may have 
heard the same tale before. The repetition has the 
advantage of fixing the story in the minds of the 
people, enabling them to retain and pass down their 
traditions from one generation to another for an 
immensely long period of time. Outside of their 
traditions, their stories deal largely with the super- 
natural in the form of ghosts and fairies. Oc- 
casionally, one may hear a fable that apparently has 
a moral attached. The following are a few of the 
stories that mothers interest their children with, 
and that are eagerly listened to by the older ones 
also : — 

Allugua 

Little Allugua had been born blind. It had 
worried his father and mother greatly, for they 
knew when he grew to manhood he would not be 
able to hunt and support himself. They hoped as 
he grew older he might yet receive his eyesight, 
although both eyes were white and sightless. At 
last when he became seven or eight years of age his 
parents gave up all hope. 

130 



Sketches From Oldest America 

The summer season was approaching, a time 
when all the villagers would be going on their 
annual trips, some to the north in quest of deer, 
while others would go to the east, down the 
Kotzebue Sound, where they would meet natives of 
other tribes, and do their trading. All would leave 
the village; the place would be entirely abandoned. 
Little Allugua's father and mother, in talking the 
matter over with some of the neighbors, came to 
the conclusion that the child was hopelessly blind 
and would never be able to support himself. It was 
therefore decided to leave him behind. The parents 
placed him in their iglo, laying heavy whale jaws 
over the window and blocking up the entrance, 
thus leaving no way of escape. They then left 
him without food, expecting him to starve to death 
during their absence. 

The little fellow sat on the floor, with his head 
bowed on his breast, feeling very bad at the fate 
which awaited him. He was growing very hungry 
and had apparently no means of relief. Everything 
was dark to him. His hunger grew still worse, 
with a terrible gnawing sensation in his stomach. 
If he could only get something to eat! and his thirst 
was terrible! He was beside himself with despair; 



Sketches From Oldest America 

if death would only come, what a relief it would 
be. It seemed a terribly long time that he sat there 
in the darkness with his head bowed on his breast. 

At last he heard a noise; what could it mean ? 
He knew that none of the villagers would return for 
a long time. It must be one of those hallucinations 
that hunger and thirst often create. Then the 
noise came nearer, and a little woman coming up 
through the floor asked him why he was there and 
what made him so sad. He soon told the story of 
how he had been left to starve to death and how he 
was suffering for food and water. If he could only 
get a drink from the spring near by, how it would 
relieve the terrible parched condition of his mouth 
and throat! Water, oh, if he only had some water! 

"Never mind," said the little woman, " you shall 
not starve to death," and she placed by his side 
some nice pieces of whale meat and black skin, 
with a pailful of clear cold water. How Allugua 
did enjoy the water, and then the whale meat and 
black skin! He had never in all his life tasted any- 
thing half so good. Every day the little woman 
brought a fresh supply of meat and water; she 
knew just what to choose so that he would gain 
strength and grow. 

132 



Sketches From Oldest America 

At last the fall season came, bringing with it the 
colder weather. The villagers were returning from 
their summer trips, and Allugua's father and mother 
were among the arrivals. Soon he heard some one 
moving the barricade from the entrance, then his 
mother looked up through the hole in the floor. 
She was greatly surprised to see him alive and 
well; here was a fat, healthy boy instead of the 
emaciated body of her son, who, she supposed, had 
starved to death during her absence. 

"Why you are alive and hearty, what makes you 
so fleshy?" she remarked, "and how you have 
grown!" Allugua did not tell his mother that a 
good little fairy had been feeding him. He simply 
said that the food and water she had left had proved 
very nourishing. After that his parents decided that 
as he would not die they would take care of him. 

In time he grew up and was approaching man- 
hood, when he expressed a desire to join one of the 
whaling crews. His parents said no; he was blind 
and would simply be in the way of the whalers. 
But he persisted, declaring that he would kill a 
whale. At last they consented, and he went with 
one of the crews. He had not been long out when 
he insisted that he should be placed at the head of 
133 



Sketches From Oldest America 

the boat with the whaling spear. The men at first 
refused, but ultimately acceded to his request by 
placing him at the head with the spear. Just then 
a whale coming along quite close, they told him to 
dart, but he said no; that was not the right one, as 
it passed off. Then the ice began crowding in and 
the canoe was quickly hauled out. The men 
stepped back to a safe place, but Allugua stayed at 
the edge. 

After a while he began beckoning to the men to 
come forward. But no, they would not, for they 
thought it was simply the crowding ice he heard. 
Later on, the ice moved off and another whale came 
quite close. The men again placed the spear in his 
hand and told him to dart, but he said no; that was 
not the right one. The ice again crowding in as 
before, he took his stand at the edge. After listen- 
ing a while he beckoned for the men to come for- 
ward. At last they did so, remarking among them- 
selves, that it was only the crowding of the ice he 
heard. He stood for a moment listening, then 
darted the spear, but instead of striking the ice, it 
went under, and the line with the floats was drawn 
out with great rapidity. He had darted a large 
whale which was soon dispatched. 
134 



Sketches From Oldest America 

Before the season closed he had killed three 
more, and the following year he did the same thing 
again; so that instead of being a poor blind man, a 
care to his parents, Allugua proved to be one of the 
most successful whalers in the village. 

Caterpillar 

It is not long since ghosts and fairies were fully 
believed in in the far north, as they were in the 
olden days in our more civilized countries. The 
men and women who claimed they had seen such 
apparitions were so common that no one doubted 
their statements or gave the subject an investigation, 
but would listen patiently, no matter how extrava- 
gant the story might be. Even to-day, superstition 
seems to exist among the older people, although 
there is scarcely any one who would care to assert 
that he had seen such a thing at a very recent date, 
in 1892 a young woman came to me with the infor- 
mation that the previous evening an "Ongootkoot" 
had seen a black man and boy walk slowly across 
the land, then out upon the ocean, where they 
disappeared. 

Quite a while back, a man and his wife had gone 
into the interior country in search of deer. The 
135 



Sketches From Oldest America 

man was meeting with unusually good success in 
his hunting, while the woman busied herself with 
cutting and packing willow brush for the camp. 
One day while at her task, happening to look up, 
she saw a woman near at hand with a very fine 
deerskin coat on. It was all fancily trimmed with 
wolverine and other furs, making one of those 
beautiful coats any woman would love to possess. 
At the same time, looking down at her own shabby 
artege, she sighed and remarked to the stranger, 
"What a beautiful coat you have." The woman 
smilingly replied, " Yes, how would you like to 
have it?" Of course she was delighted with the 
proposition, and when the stranger offered to make 
the exchange, was only too glad to accept the offer. 
The exchange was soon made, but on putting on 
the new coat she was instantly transformed into a 
caterpillar. The stranger put on the old coat, then 
picking up the bundle of willow brush went to the 
camp, where she took the place of the real wife. 

The hunter, on returning, remarked to his sup- 
posed wife, "Why, dear, you don't look the same 
as usual, and you have a different odor," To which 
she replied, "Why, husband, you know I have 
been working hard all day, cutting and packing 
136 



Sketches From Oldest America 

brush and have become overheated." The man, 
not being very inquisitive, accepted the explana- 
tion and was satisfied, especially so as there was a 
nice hot dinner awaiting him. 

So matters continued for some time. 

The real wife felt terribly over her misfortune, 
wishing sincerely she had never coveted the other 
woman's coat. She slowly crawled back toward 
the camp, but, make the greatest exertion she 
could, it was very slow work. Then, when she 
thought she had nearly arrived at the place where 
her husband was, he and the fraudulent wife would 
break camp and move to a new site. It was such 
slow work crawling; besides, the poor wife had 
several narrow escapes from hungry birds, only 
escaping by hiding in the crevice of a rock or 
under a blade of grass. The season was advancing 
and her husband would soon return to the village; 
she must hurry or be left behind. So crawling 
night and day, she at last reached the camp and 
managed to crawl in among the deerskins, as they 
were being lashed preparatory to taking them 
home. 

On arriving in the village she could only crawl 
around and see her friends, but no one took any 
137 



Sketches From Oldest America 

notice of her. She crawled around the iglo and 
watched the fraudulent wife making love to her 
husband. It filled her with jealousy and indigna- 
tion, but she could do nothing to help matters. 
The season was arriving when she would turn into 
a cocoon for her long winter's sleep. If something 
did not happen quickly, her hopes would be blasted 
forever. Crawling up over the place where her 
mother was cooking, the caterpillar accidentally 
fell down at the edge of the fire, burst open and 
the woman escaped from her prison. Her mother 
was greatly surprised. Explanations were made, 
and the fraudulent wife was soon turned into a 
caterpillar. Crawling off she has never since been 
heard from, and may be crawling yet, as far as any 
of the villagers know. 

Tungnaluke's Perplexity 
Tungnaluke was one of those slow-of-compre- 
hension, good-natured, shiftless fellows, that the 
men of the world would consider as not being very 
bright. He would rather hang around his neighbors 
doing a bit of gossiping, than to exert himself by 
hunting for his family. As usual with such charac- 
ters, he had chosen for a wife a woman his extreme 
138 



Sketches From Oldest America 

opposite, and she was not to be blamed if, at times, 
she exercised her fiery tongue or wielded a stick. It 
was the only way to excite a little energy in the man 
she had accepted as her life partner. There was a 
certain amount of affection existing between the 
two; she looking upon him as a man she could con- 
trol, while on his part, he viewed her with a con- 
siderable amount of respect. 

Knowing the man's gossiping disposition so well, 
she had ordered him to go up the river alone for 
three or four weeks and lay in a winter's supply of 
fish. He would much rather have taken a compan- 
ion, for spending three or four weeks alone fishing 
through the ice, with no one to converse with, did 
not meet with his approbation ; yet he knew better 
than to raise any objections with Mrs. Tungnaluke. 
So he obeyed and went off. Feeling the loneliness 
of his position, he worked with an unusual amount 
of energy, trying to hurry the task through. Still 
the feeling of, " Oh, if I only had some one to talk 
to," would occasionally steal over him. 

One day, meeting with unusual success, he stayed 

at the task much later than usual and the twilight 

had begun to fade. At last casting his eyes toward 

his hut he was surprised to see the place brightly il- 

139 



Sketches From Oldest America 

luminated. What could it mean? He knew that 
the seal-oil lamp had not been lighted that day 
and there was no other person within many 
miles. 

The number four seems to be regarded among the 
villagers with some degree of superstition, though 
why it is hard to say. Perhaps it originated from 
the idea that man ascends on the fourth day after 
death, and the four raps with the hammer are given 
on that day at the recent home of the deceased. 

Tungnaluke, on seeing the illumination, hastily 
picked up four frozen fish and on entering the hut 
he was delighted to see a woman. Here was some- 
body to talk to. To be sure, she had a deerskin 
mask over her face, and he knew that was the way 
the villagers dressed the dead, but he gave the sub- 
ject no heed. The place was nice and warm, and 
he felt that his solitude was at an end. He could 
now have a nice long conversation; so seating him- 
self on the floor he spoke to the visitor. But she 
made no reply. He then pushed one of the frozen 
fish toward her, but the fish came flapping back. 
Then he offered the other fish one by one, telling her 
to eat; but they came flapping back as did the first. 
Thinking that the warmth of the room had brought 
140 



Sketches From Oldest America 

them back to life, he gave the subject no further at- 
tention. 

His curiosity being aroused, and wishing to see 
who the visitor was, he pulled the death mask from 
her face and threw it outside; but it came back and 
covered the face again. Supposing that it was the 
wind which had blown it back, he pulled it off again 
and threw it outside; but with the same result as 
before. It was not until the fifth time that the mask 
stayed away. Then recognizing one of the young 
women of the village, he spoke but received no 
reply. Passing his hand over her face he felt that 
she was cold and clammy, and supposing it was a 
chill she had he placed her in his bed. 

After awhile he had the satisfaction of knowing 
that his visitor was growing warmer. Then she 
spoke and told him she had died and been buried, 
but that he had warmed and made her comfortable 
again. After talking together for quite awhile, the 
visitor proposed that they should return to the village 
together, Tungnaluke taking her for his wife. 

At last the truth began to dawn through his mind, 

and he found himself in a perplexity. Here he had 

been making a ghost comfortable, and it was now 

insisting on being his wife. He already had one in 

141 



Sketches From Oldest America 

the village, whom he had a great amount of respect 
for, and knew she would be highly indignant if he 
brought a second wife home, especially so if the 
new one was the recently deceased neighbor. So 
he refused, but the ghost insisted. He was in a 
great perplexity, not knowing how to escape from 
his dilemma. The ghost was growing more and 
more imperative in its demands. 

At last the idea arose in his mind that he would 
try the hammer. So going around the room he 
struck the four magic blows, at which the ghost 
disappeared, and he returned alone to his home to 
relate his adventure. 

The Raven, the Barnacle Goose and the Whale 

A raven that lived along the cliffs near Cape Lis- 
burne became tired of the humdrum life he was 
leading. He had noticed that his friends, the gan- 
nets and murres, with many other acquaintances, 
were in the habit of going on long trips each fall and 
not returning again until the warmer weather of 
spring had arrived. His own family was content to 
stay at home the year round, not showing the least 
ambition to travel or visit any of those other coun- 
tries about which their neighbors were continually 
142 



Sketches From Oldest America 



talking. He was particularly interested to learn that 
in the south the sun was never lost in winter and the 
days were warm and balmy, just the same as in sum- 
mer. He was growing tired of his bachelorship, and 
therefore he decided to seek a bride outside of his 
own people, one that would be willing to travel with 
him. Meeting one of the young ladies of the Bar- 
nacle Goose family, he proposed that she should be- 
come his wife, lauding himself by saying what a 
sweet voice he had, and what a good husband he 
would make. Miss Goose hung her head and de- 
murred a little, nevertheless she accepted the offer, 
and they began their wedding tour together. 

The goose, knowing the route, took the lead 
straight out over the ocean, while the raven fol- 
lowed, trying to keep pace with his bride. As the 
day waned, the raven began to feel the effects of 
the long flight, while hunger was admonishing him 
that he had partaken of only a light breakfast that 
morning. So addressing his wife, he said, "My 
dear, don't you think it is about time for us to take 
a rest while we try to find something to eat ?" 

"All right, husband," was her reply, as she settled 
lightly down on the waves. But there was no place 
for the raven to alight, unless upon his wife's back. 
143 



Sketches From Oldest America 

All was water, so with a slight apology, he lit on 
the bride's back. After a short time she began to 
feel her husband's weight to be somewhat of a bur- 
den. Seeing a small fish, she remarked, "Look out, 
dear," as she dove and captured it. The raven just 
had time to open his weary wings, to avoid a duck- 
ing; then he had the mortification of seeing how 
selfish his bride was, as she swallowed the whole 
fish without offering him even a small piece, al- 
though he was famishing with hunger. 

The goose then started to continue the journey, 
while the raven implored her to rest just a little 
longer; but no, she would not. There was nothing 
else for him to do but to continue his flight, trying 
to keep up with his wife, while beseeching her to 
take another short rest. So the night wore away. 

As the dawn came, the bride, who had gradually 
gained in her flight, was far ahead, while the bride- 
groom could scarcely flap his wings any longer. 
The situation began to look serious. If he should 
alight on the water his feathers would become wet 
and that would be his end. What to do he did not 
know. Just then a whale came along, and think- 
ing it would be a good place to alight, he managed 
to reach its head just as his wings gave out. 
144 



Sketches From Oldest America 

The whale had Just started to take a fresh breath, 
and the raven entered the blow hole along with the 
rush of air. Looking around he said to himself, 
"What a nice long room this is," and commenced 
walking about picking at the walls here and there. 
The whale remarked to some of its companions, 
" What a cold I have taken in my nose," and began 
sneezing. The raven thought he was in a very 
draughty apartment, but he had been born on the 
cliffs at Cape Lisburne, where the gales are frequent 
and severe, so he did not mind the present woUies ' 
to any extent. 

He took a walk in the long passageway until the 
road divided up into the many small by-paths of 
the lungs. At last, finding a crevice where the 
drafts did not seem quite so strong, he settled down 
for a good sleep. On awakening, he began examin- 
ing the comfortable crevice and found that the walls 
were not quite so thick as at the other places. So 
setting to work with bill and claws on a thin por- 
tion, he soon had a hole made through the mem- 
brane; at ^he same time the whale was grumbling 
at having the tickling sensation in its nose and throat 
that made it sneeze so often. 

* Wollie, a sudden high gust of wind rushing through a gulch. 



Sketches From Oldest America 

The raven walked through the opening and found 
himself in a much larger apartment, where there 
was a great deal to excite his interest, but what 
seemed the most curious thing of all was a great 
red object that was thumping in regular order. 
After standing and watching it for quite a while, 
his curiosity became much aroused. He thought he 
would feel it, just to see if it was hard or soft. 
He commenced feeling with his bill and found it 
was quite firm, but on trial discovered that it was 
easy to nip off a small piece. The fragment tasted 
very good, and as he had not breakfasted yet he 
made up his mind to keep nipping off small pieces 
until his hunger was appeased. The whale told its 
friends that these colds in the nose were awful 
things, for sometimes they struck through to the 
heart. The raven declared he had never before had 
such a good thing in all his life. Here was a nice 
large room with plenty to excite his curiosity, 
while there was no end of good things to eat. 

At the end of a week he found himself growing 
quite fleshy, but the big red object was not beating 
with the same regularity as at first. At last it 
ceased, and the whale lay floating on the water, 
dead. The whale's friends declared that their late 
146 



Sketches From Oldest America 

comrade had died suddenly from heart failure, in- 
duced by a cold in the nose and aggravated by too 
much sneezing. 

The raven soon began to suspect that all was not 
quite right. The big red object did not work any 
longer, while everything remained so still. After 
a while, the breaking of the surf on the beach 
greeted his ears. Then people's voices were heard 
shouting, " Here comes some new meat and black 
skin floating on the ocean." 

The whale drifted on shore and the inhabitants 
were soon cutting off the meat and blubber. One 
man, working on the ribs, quickly had a hole made 
and light began streaming through. The raven said 
to himself, "Here I have grown quite corpulent 
during the lazy life I have been leading; I must not 
let the men see me." So, crouching down and hid- 
ing, he waited until the hole was made large 
enough, then suddenly opening his wings flew 
out. Everybody was much surprised to see the 
raven come out of the whale. But they heard him 
say before he disappeared toward his home on the 
cliffs, that in the future he would stick by his own 
people and avoid those frivolous young ladies of 
the Barnacle Goose family. 
147 



XXI 

Courtship 



XXI 

COURTSHIP 

As viewed by the outsider, the average Inupash 
courtship is devoid of romance. The first mating of 
young people is usually suggested and arranged by 
the mothers, yet there are slight indications notice- 
able to the initiated that will often point to the in- 
tentions of the persons interested. If one sees a 
young man beating out a piece of metal and fashion- 
ing a finger ring, it is apt to be for some young 
woman; or should a young woman be making a 
fancy tobacco bag, of course it is for some young 
man, and the whispering of love is probably back 
of the inspiration. It only remains for the meet- 
ing of the two mothers to arrange matters. 

The two families may be living close together, 
yet the mother of one will call on her neighbor and 
tell her how she has intended to be more neigh- 
borly, but she has been so busy. Then the neigh- 
bor will declare how delighted she is to see her, 
after which the conversation is carried on in the 
usual strain, or until mother number one commences 
J5I 



Sketches From Oldest America 

to tell what a great hunter her son is and how good 
he is. Then mother number two remarks that her 
daughter is such a good sewer and knows how to 
chew a beautiful boot sole. Mother number one 
declares that they are never hungry in their iglo, as 
son is always so successful and brings lots of seals 
home. Mother number two now remarks that 
daughter is such a lovely cook, having taken lessons 
and knows how to cook everything. (At the same 
time, she may consider herself fortunate if she has 
half a sack of China flour in the house.) The con- 
versation continues for a while, each mother trying 
to present her side in its most favorable light. 

The father now arriving, and being suspicious of 
what is taking place, will naturally try to be as 
agreeable as possible. He will relate some old 
story that has been doing duty in the tribe for a 
number of generations. Of course the women 
gather around and listen with a great deal of inter- 
est, as if it was entirely new to them. Returning 
to business, it is decided that the young man shall 
enter the family on a sort of trial. If the girl turns 
up her nose and makes faces, he might as well 
leave, as the match will never amount to anything; 
but should she greet him with an occasional smile 
152 



Sketches From Oldest America 

and allow him to sit by her side in the evening, 
with his arm around her, it will be all clear sailing 
and they will unite as husband and wife. 

With older people courtship is different. They 
plead and arrange their own affairs, usually without 
the assistance of a third party. As I have watched 
these marriages, 1 could not help but think that they 
turn out as happily as in any other section. Di- 
vorces, formerly so common, are now far less fre- 
quent, and when the people marry it is usually for 
life, most couples living together happily until 
parted by death. 



153 



XXII 

The Wooing of Billy Fishtail 



XXII 

THE WOOING OF BILLY FISHTAIL 

There was a bond of sympathy between Billy 
and myself, for I had looked upon him as a perma- 
nent bachelor, and he was always such a reliable 
fellow. If I set him to whittling a bit of wood or 
to sawing a board, he was sure soon to apply for a 
bandage to stop the flow of blood from a wound. 
On trying to bore a hole through a board with a 
sharpened knitting-needle, only the bone of his 
second finger prevented the instrument from pass- 
ing through that also. Even with the axe he was 
an expert; lifting it high to take a vigorous blow he 
would bring the back down on his own head, and 
rush for aid. 

He was very faithful, however, and nothing 
seemed to make him so happy as to be doing what 
he thought would give me pleasure. Some one 
had informed Billy that far away in the States, the 
singing on Sundays was accompanied by an organ, 
so on the following Sunday Billy brought his small 
accordion to church and tried to accompany the 
singers. He had not practiced the tunes, and there 
157 



Sketches From Oldest America 

seemed to be a difference between the drums of his 
ears, for one would catch a tune one way while the 
other gave a different interpretation. The accordion 
could not please both ears, so it squeaked and 
wheezed out an air of its own. 

At last a time came when it was evident that a 
change was coming over Billy. He was growing 
more particular in his personal appearance, and was 
even trying to learn how to whistle. 

Just about the same time, rumor said that the 
widow Okpoktoah had been seen running around 
the village trying to procure the loan of a cake of 
soap. It looked very suspicious, but Billy would 
not admit anything. He would simply hang his 
head and grin. Then the cook came one morning 
with the information that Billy had been seen very 
late the previous evening talking earnestly with the 
widow at her iglo. 

Time has now rolled along and Billy is very happy 
for he owns the widow, yet those gossiping neigh- 
bors will persist in saying that Billy is not finding 
his nights quite as restful as formerly, for his little 
daughter has a very imperative way of ordering 
him to take a walk during those hours of the night 
when sleep seems the most refreshing. 
158 



XXIII 

Writing 



XXIII 

WRITING 

To the uninitiated children of nature, the art of 
reading and writing seemed at first as great a mys- 
tery as the electric current. How those scrawls of 
black lines were words, that could be spoken just 
the same as in conversation, was beyond their com- 
prehension. At first, they gathered around every 
time a letter was received and listened eagerly. 
Then arose the desire for them to be able to make 
out those intelligible scrawls that had a meaning. 

One elderly woman seemed to feel slighted that 
she had not received a letter; so going on board the 
whalers at anchor, she inquired if there was not one 
for her. At last her heart was made glad by re- 
ceiving a mukpara (letter) which read as follows: — 
"Give this woman a dose of poison." Carefully 
wrapping the precious missive in a piece of sealskin 
and attaching a string, she wore it around her neck 
as an ornament, and guarded it zealously. 

With the young people, it was a proud day when 
they had advanced far enough in their studies to be 
i6i 



Sketches From Oldest America 

supplied with a pen for the first time. Eagerly 
taking the pen and copy, the scholar would lie flat 
on the floor, in the most secluded part of the room, 
then call loudly to all the others to stand out of the 
light. If a blot accidentally occurred, an attempt 
would be made to erase it with the finger-nail. So 
the young Inupash gradually advanced until he 
became proficient enough to begin writing compo- 
sitions. 

The young tribal prince, for his first composition, 
chose to write upon the seal, and supposed he had 
exhausted the subject when he wrote, " Man 'he go 
on ice, shoot him seal. By and by woman she 
come dog sled, take him seal home. By and by 
man he go home tell woman. You cook him seal 
very big quick, me big plenty hungry." 

Those earlier days have passed by and the mys- 
tery of the scrawls has been solved. The young 
Inupash are learning to read quite nicely and can 
now write their own letters. They still have the 
English grammar to master; it is very different 
from their own, but at length they will accomplish 
that task, and at no very distant time. The days 
when they used to borrow each other's fingers to do 
their counting with have gone by. They are 
162 



Sketches From Oldest America 

steadily advancing and will, in the course of time, 
be numbered among our good and intelligent citi- 
zens. They are the only ones that are naturally 
fitted to inhabit this, the most northern part of our 
country. 



163 



/UL iOHs I9V9 



